


What It Means to Dance With You

by disney_princess_patton



Category: Cartoon Therapy (Web Series), Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: (Only Janus and Patton tho), (The angst is pretty light tho), Alternate Universe - Dance, Awkward Logic | Logan Sanders, Ballroom Dancing, College Student Logic | Logan Sanders, Cos roman is a himbo and hurts himself before a show, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders Are Twins, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders is Extra, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders is a Good Friend, Creativity | Roman Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus Sanders Have A Good Relationship, Dancer Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Dancer Deceit | Janus Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders is a Little Shit, Deceit | Janus Sanders is Extra, Deceit | Janus Sanders is a Good Friend, Eventual Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Eventual Deceit | Janus Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, F/F, Fem!janus teaches fem!patton how to dance, Female Deceit | Janus Sanders, Female Morality | Patton Sanders, Female Sides (Sanders Sides), Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Himbo Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Human Sides (Sanders Sides), I won’t tag warnings here they’ll be at the start of each chapter, Insecure Morality | Patton Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders is Bad at Feelings, Logince - Freeform, M/M, Moceit - Freeform, Morality | Patton Sanders Angst, Morality | Patton Sanders Tries, Morality | Patton Sanders is a Sweetheart, Mutual Pining, Pining Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Pining Deceit | Janus Sanders, Pining Logic | Logan Sanders, Pining Logince, Pining Morality | Patton Sanders, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Loceit, Platonic Logicality - Freeform, Platonic Roceit, Requited Love, Roman and fem!janus are pro ballroom dancers, Romantic Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Romantic Deceit | Janus Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Sassy Deceit | Janus Sanders, Supportive Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Supportive Deceit | Janus Sanders, Supportive Logic | Logan Sanders, don’t wanna spoil, pining moceit, platonic royality - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:02:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28920276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disney_princess_patton/pseuds/disney_princess_patton
Summary: DISCLAIMER: although I have made some of the sides female and not others, fear not for I can assure you there will be nothing heterosexual about this au.Roman Prince is a world-class ballroom dancer, but he also a himbo, and he somehow manages to injure himself just days before a performance. It’s up to his dance partner Janice Sanders to teach Roman’s childhood best friend Pippa Hart all the steps, and the technique, and the performance, and... jeez why is there so much to learn?! Pippa never remembers dancing being this stressful in her childhood and teen years, and it isn’t helping that she keeps getting distracted by how darn pretty Janice is... she should probably focus as she only has three days to rehearse and save her best friend’s showPining Fem!moceit and background logince will ensue
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders & Logic | Logan Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	1. Disaster

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I’m super excited about writing this new fic, hope you enjoy it :D  
> -Rose 
> 
> Janice=fem!janus  
> Pippa = fem!patton
> 
> All characters are in their early 20s apart from Emile who is in his 30s

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter: injury (nothing graphic at all though), cursing and yelling, panicking, hospitals

Roman Prince was one of the best ballroom dancers of his generation. His natural ability had been evident from when he’d first began at a very young age, and he’d been quickly taken up by Picani Dance School, one of the biggest dance companies in the world. This company trained dancers from their preteen years and put on an abundance of performances, making sure they were never short of work as adults. They had discovered Roman, a young spark of talent, and refined his skills through years of training. 

The end product was certainly worthwhile- a young man in his early 20s who danced flawlessly and loved every second of what he did. He was close to the president of the company, Emile Picani himself, who had been particularly blown away by Roman’s talent and taken a lot of the boy’s training into his own hands, shaping him into the dancer he was today. Mr Picani meticulously planned every show, every tour his company put on, wanting to make sure they were absolutely perfect, that the audience sat there that night would be, without fail, completely blown away by the spectacle his incredible dancers performed. Roman himself often toured the country, dancing at all the top venues, however rarely without Emile by his side, but not only him. After all, a ballroom dancer couldn’t do much without a partner. 

Janice Sanders was a charismatic young woman who had also danced from a very young age. Although Emile hadn’t trained her personally, he’d watched her dance and there was no denying her talent and impeccable performance skills. Anyone watching couldn’t take their eyes off her, she was almost entrancing to an audience, full of personality and charm. Emile had seen the potential of pairing her with Roman, and he’d been very right. Their energies matched each other perfectly, they were an absolute delight to watch on the dance floor, and even off the stage, they got on extremely well and were great friends. 

Roman and Janice had been dancing together for almost three years, touring around doing show after show, keeping each other company throughout their travels, always returning back to their hometowns for any major event and for as much planned leave as they wanted, making sure they were always well-rested and in a fit mental state to perform. 

One of Picani Dance Company’s showstopping performances was just five days away, and Janice and Roman had spent the entire day doing one of their final rehearsals on the very floor where the show would take place. The two leads and the backing dancers were all sat down, still in their final positions on the floor, preparing to hear Emile’s feedback from the runthrough. Both of them exhausted from a full day’s dancing, Roman and Janice were leaning on one another, yet both of them were grinning with pride at how spectacularly the rehearsal had gone. 

Emile smiled at the cast as he stood just above the dance floor, preparing to address them. 

“Do you how do everyone, good to see you all!” he greeted warmly as he was met with smiles from the performers. 

“What a spectacular rehearsal, I’m honestly blown away!” he beamed at them. “I know I strive for perfection and I believe there’s always room for improvement, but honestly... I can’t fault that performance you all just gave. You’ve worked incredibly hard and should be so proud of yourselves.” 

The dancers exchanged proud glances as they continued to listen to Emile’s encouraging words. 

“After seeing that, I honestly don’t believe we need to rehearse this any further. I think this is the most show-ready any of my routines has ever been, if anything I don’t want to tire you all out any more before the big day! So I’m going to say all rehearsals are cancelled until the final dress run on Saturday. Go get some rest, look after yourselves, and I’ll see you bright and early Saturday morning ready for the show. Well done all of you! Oh, and Roman? I’d like to talk to you quickly.” 

All the backing dancers filed out and soon it was only Emile, Roman and Janice on the floor. Roman walked up to Emile. 

“What was it you wanted to discuss, Mr Picani?” 

“How many times, you can call me Emile,” he chuckled.

“It was just a quick thing about your costumes. I know Jan’s are already all sorted but I think you should take all yours home and try them on again, just to triple-check they’re all fit and show-ready. There shouldn’t be any issues with any of them but drop me a message if you do have any concerns. That okay?” 

Roman nodded. 

“Brilliant! Can’t wait for the show, it’s gonna be excellent, you should both be so proud of yourselves because what I saw today, from you two especially, was phenomenal.” 

Both the dancers blushed. 

“Thanks Emile,” Janice said. “I’ll see you Saturday, I’m sure it’ll be simply dreadful.”

Emile laughed. “I know you well enough to know that was sarcasm but, please Janice, don’t jinx it!” 

Janice lauded. “Sorry! Ro, I’ll help you get all your costumes?” 

“Yes, thanks Jan. Bye, Mr Picani!” Roman shouted across the floor as he and Janice headed backstage. 

“It’s Emile!” he called back, sighing fondly. 

————————

Once Roman and Janice had collected all of the former’s costumes from backstage, they took them out onto the street, heading towards his car, laughing and talking as they went. 

“You’re so extra, I swear! Look at this!” Janice examined one of Roman’s jackets. “That’s more sequins than all my outfits put together-“ 

“Oh, I’m extra? I’m not the one with the tailcoats and top hats on every other outfit-“ 

“Hey, at least the audience can look at me without sunglasses.” 

Being able to have some input on the design of their costumes was one of Roman’s and Janice’s favourite parts of the job, even if it did lead to some... rather heated discussions on whose outfits were more extra. Which were ultimately pointless, seen as both dancers were equally dramatic but in slightly different ways. 

From there, now knowing all further rehearsals for the week were cancelled, they had both decided to return home until the performance on Saturday, as both their houses were only about an hour away from the theatre, in opposite directions. 

“I’m so proud of how well that went,” Janice said. 

“I know!” Roman’s face lit up. “It’s like everything’s just fallen perfectly into place... I’m especially excited about this one.” 

Janice’s lips curled into a smile. “As am I. I have a feeling it may be our best yet,” she remarked as she placed the last of Roman’s costumes into the back of his car. She shut the door as Roman smiled over at her. 

“Here’s hoping.” 

He opened the door to the driver seat as Janice stood before him. 

“I’ll see you Saturday, then.” 

“Can’t wait,” Janice replied, and just as she turned to walk off, she had a thought.

“Oh, and Roman? Don’t do anything stupid until then.”  
Roman scoffed offendedly. 

“What makes you think that might happen?” 

“Oh... I wonder,” Janice drawled sarcastically. “You himbo,” she muttered to herself as she walked off. 

“I HEARD THAT, YOU FIEND!” Roman shouted back at her. 

Janice laughed. She’d been joking at that stage. Although Roman had a track record of doing some... less than clever things, like setting the barbecue on fire, or accidentally making a considerable slice in the stage curtain when he played a prince in a play as a teenager, and had been specifically instructed to be careful with his sword, Janice had thought that, when it really mattered, Roman always had luck on his side and his clumsy antics had never impeded him from performing. Well... up until then...

—————

Across town from Roman’s house lived his twin brother, Remus. He was an artist, and also wrote songs as a hobby. The twins had lived together their entire childhood and were still extremely close.

Although he jokingly made fun of him sometimes, Remus would never deny his genuine pride in his brother’s successful dance career and how much he loved watching him perform. Remus knew, no matter how busy his twin was, he would never pass up an opportunity to talk to his best bro. So, with that in mind, the morning after the rehearsal, he gave Roman a call.

“Well well well, if it isn’t the Grand Old Duke of Chaos,” came his brother’s voice through the phone.

Remus giggled, knowing he had thoroughly earned that title. 

“You been prancing around the ballroom all week?” 

“Yes Remus, I’ve been rehearsing,” Roman sighed. 

“I’ve never understood the dancing thing,” Remus said, as he bent down to give his cat Remy some food. “It’s all footwork this, and frame that, far too portentous for me.”

“You’re coming to watch me though, right?” 

“Yeah, of course! What kind of sibling would I be if I didn’t support my best bro?! But like... isn’t there some kind of nepotistic system that gets relatives of the dancers front row seats?” 

Roman sighed. “You could’ve got front row seats... if you’d booked your tickets in time. Not two months late. You’re honestly lucky you got a ticket at all...” Roman sighed fondly. “Anyway, I’m organising some of my costumes at the moment.” 

Remus fake-gasped. “Roman! Please tell me you have sunglasses on right now! Seriously, those things have such a ridiculous amount of glitter, you could really damage your eyes!” 

“Har-har, very funny,” Roman replied sarcastically. What he said next was muffled but Remus heard something about “everyone makes fun of my costumes...” 

“Jeez, I remember wearing this one!” Roman’s voice came again. “I think it was for my first show I did with Janice, that must’ve been almost three years ago.” 

Remus shrugged. “How do you remember that? I can barely remember what I did yesterday... did I even shower yesterday?” 

“I should probably stop being all nostalgic and shift these costumes faster or there’ll be no space for my new ones.” 

Remus heard the sound of clothes hangers clattering and a door creaking open as he assumed Roman was carrying a large amount of his costumes across his upstairs hall, presumably to take downstairs and to his outdoor storage space. 

Just as Remus was about to make another snarky comment, he suddenly heard Roman let out a high-pitched, feminine scream followed by a large amount of clattering and finally, the sound of a dull thud. Remus immediately jolted upright, screaming into the phone. 

“Roman?! OH SHIT ROMAN DID YOU JUST FALL DOWN THE STAIRS?! FUCK!” Roman’s phone must have landed quite far away from him because the only thing his twin said that he could make out was,

“Arm... hurts...” 

That immediately sent Remus into full-blown-panic-mode: his brother had a very high pain tolerance and extremely strong bones and muscles from years of dance training. To hear Roman moaning in pain and unable to speak was immediately a very bad sign.

“Roman, that sounds like you’re really hurt! Shit! Ok...” he tried to compose himself and think logically, something he wasn’t particularly good at at the best of times.

“Don’t you dare try and get up yourself,” he told him. “I know what you’re like. You stay the hell where you are, I’ll call an ambulance and I’ll meet you at the hospital-“  
Remus could barely hear Roman’s answer over his internal praying that his brother would be OK... 

Less than twenty minutes later Remus was sprinting through the hospital, trying to find where his brother would be. When he finally found the emergency ward, the news wasn’t nearly as bad as the terrible scenarios Remus’ brain had been forcing him to imagine, but it definitely wasn’t good... 

“...broken arm...” 

“ we had to operate ...” 

“ ...he’s still under anaesthetics currently ...” 

“... he can expect the affected arm to be in a cast for up to eight weeks ...” 

“... he shouldn’t attempt to use the arm until it has healed ...”

Remus sat on a chair in the ward, head in his hands. Once Roman woke up and heard the news, Remus knew he would have two very difficult tasks on his hands. One- how to comfort his twin now he wouldn’t be able to do the show he was so excited for. But, to Remus, the much more daunting task was the second- breaking the news to Janice Sanders. 

Looking upon his brother in the hospital bed, however, for now he could breathe a sigh of relief. His brother was here, safe. Alive. The fact that he knew his twin would be ok was enough for him. If only that were the case for Roman. Remus’ heart ached knowing how distraught he would be when he eventually awoke...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yea!! Lemme know what you think of the new story, I’m super excited about this :DDD


	2. Desperate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter: hospital, let me know if you want me to add any others :D
> 
> A/N: I know there’s a huge plot hole here, they could’ve asked one of the backing dancers to fill in for Roman and in the real world he probably would’ve had an understudy. But then there would be no story :)

“WHERE. IS. HE?!” 

The doors to Roman’s small hospital room burst open as Remus practically jumped out of his skin. He’d watched horror film after horror film, his art was often extremely gruesome and ominous, but only now, with this tall, formidable woman stood in front of him, staring down at him with the fiery rage of a million suns in her eyes, did he feel any fear. 

The paramedics had found Roman’s phone on the floor when they entered his house and had given it to Remus once he’d arrived at the hospital. Using it, he’d eventually been able to formulate texts to send to Janice and Emile, who had both told him they’d be there as soon as they could. He jolted upright, trying his best to smile at her, but it came out as more of a grimace.

“You must be Janice. He’s just sat over there, he was asleep after his surgery, but...” Remus glanced over at his twin’s blearily opening eyes. “... you seem to have woken him up.” 

“Oh my gosh, Roman!” Janice immediately crouched by the bed as her dance partner weakly met her gaze.

Roman sat up a bit, giving her a bewildered look. “You came all this way to see me?” 

“Of course I did! I was so worried, I came as soon as I heard, are you ok?”

“I’ll be fine, I just need some time to recover... but there’s no question of me doing the show now. I’m so sorry, I’ve let you down, please don’t be mad.” 

Janice couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. She looked at him, very severely. 

“Roman Prince, you listen to me. I am not angry, this is not your fault. The show was important to me, but your health matters so much more. I’m just glad you’re okay.” 

Remus spoke up. “Uh... are you sure you’re not mad? Cos... it sounded like it when you stormed in here and almost burst my eardrums off.”

Janice let out a small laugh. “Yeah, I am so sorry about that. I was just scared for Roman, sorry if I acted a little aggressive.” 

Remus smiled, genuinely this time. “You are forgiven.” 

“It’s Remus, right?” Janice asked, taking the seat next to him. “I’ve heard all about you,” she smirked. 

“Oh, all good things I suppose?” Remus shot Roman a glance, however he looked slightly sheepish. 

Janice’s smirk grew. “Oh yeah, like the time you tried to eat deodorant, or when you rolled around in the mud for an hour straight and your dad had to clean you with the hosepipe-”

“Eh,” Remus shrugged it off. “Those weren’t so bad.”

“Oh weren’t they?” Janice raised an eyebrow at him. 

“What about the time you somehow smashed a window during a snowball fight, or... the attempted domestication of the raccoon...? That ring any bells?” 

“Hey! Leave Virgil out of this!” Remus protested “Ro, we promised never to bring him up again after we released him back to the wild!” 

Janice burst out laughing, and even Roman chuckled a bit from his bed. 

“Sorry Remus, but hey, Janice has also told me her fair share of funny stories from her childhood.” 

“Oh come on, I bet she was a golden child,” Remus said. “Was it awful when you got a B on that science assignment, Jan? Are you still trying to live it down today?” 

Janice hissed at him, the sound resembling that of a rattlesnake. 

“You’d be surprised, bro!” Roman said. “She used to completely sass her dance teachers if they forgot the routine or if she didn’t like the choreography. And then there was... the class debate incident in high school.” 

“Okay, okay!” Janice frantically stood up. “Perhaps we shouldn’t focus on that today.” 

Roman laughed briefly. “You’re probably right...” 

At that moment, another figure came through the door. This was none other than Emile, hair a mess, face full of worry and concern. 

“Roman! You’re awake, thank the stars! For the love of Steven Universe, please tell me you’re ok.”

“Yeah, Mr Picani, I think I’ll be fine. Obviously...” 

“No show.” Emile finished his sentence for him.

It didn’t make it any easier to accept.

“I know. It’s just how life goes sometimes. But you’re ok, and that’s what matters.” 

“Thanks for coming, Mr Picani,” said Roman, giving a small smile. 

Emile took the final seat in the room, next to Janice and Remus. 

“Do you how do, Janice?” he asked her. 

“I’m okay.” 

“And you must be Remus?” 

“The one and only!” he replied, grinning. 

“It’s good to meet you, Roman’s told me so much about you-”

“-Even about the raccoon?” 

“Yes, I’ve heard that story many times,” he giggled to himself, before glancing around the room. 

“So, unless we can find someone to fill in for Roman at such short notice, I will have to confirm the show is officially cancelled.” 

“I think that’s the best option,” Janice said. 

Remus pouted, looking sympathetically across the room. “I’m so sorry, Ro.”

But Roman was not willing to admit defeat just yet. He sat up again, looking inspired, struck by an idea. 

“Maybe hold off doing that for a moment, Mr Picani.” 

“You cannot still do the show, you himbo, you heard what the doctors said-“ Janice began. 

“No, not me! But if the show can still go ahead then of course I want it to! I want to give Jan a chance to perform when she’s worked so hard, I don’t want to disappoint the audience or any of the backing dancers. And sure, I wish I could’ve performed too, but...” he gestured wildly to his broken arm using his other one. 

“There’s always the next one, and I’ll be fit and ready then! So let’s actually talk about this for a second. When you said someone could fill in, did you mean like anyone?” 

“Well, anyone with a considerable level of ballroom ability, yes. Remember, starting tomorrow, the person would only have three days to train.” 

“Janice, you could potentially take the lead, couldn’t you?” 

“Well, yeah, I’ve danced with people smaller than me before, so that wouldn’t be an issue, but why-”

“We could get a few costumes made at short notice, couldn’t we, Mr Picani?” 

“Yes, of course, that wouldn’t be an issue at all, but Roman-“ 

“So it could be someone shorter than Jan? And we could get them a costume? And they just need a good knowledge of ballroom dance and to be willing to work hard and practice?” 

Picani looked at him, perplexed. 

“Basically, yes,” he said, not sure what he was agreeing to.

“Roman, hold on a second, why do you keep asking all these questions?” Janice asked, skeptically. 

Roman gave her a knowing glance. 

“Did you have someone in mind? You know someone?” Emile asked, the smallest glint of hope in his eyes.

“I think I just might...”

—————

Across the other side of the city, unbeknownst to any of this, Roman’s childhood best friend, Pippa Hart, had finished everything she needed to do that day and had decided to bake some cookies. She was studying child psychology at college with a goal of becoming a pre-school teacher and helping lots of children adapt to the next stage in their life. She was also taking ethics classes on the side, because who didn’t love a good moral debate, right? 

Full of spirit and determination, she was someone who always knew how to put a smile on her friends’ faces, and felt their sorrow when they were hurt. This was true especially for Roman, who she’d known since she was around ten. They’d taken dance lessons together in their early teens but, once Roman’s talent became apparent, he was taken on by Emile, leaving Pip still at their small town dance school. But she hadn’t minded- to her, it had only been a fun hobby throughout her teen years, although she could still remember much of the steps now. 

That afternoon, she’d been feeling particularly cheery, ready to seize the day. Perhaps it was fate. She’d felt like putting on the long ballroom skirt she still had and twirling around the kitchen, singing along to the cheesy pop song on the radio while she waited for the cookies to finish baking. 

Although she didn’t have much precision, or an abundance grace (partially due to her short stature compared to the likes of Roman and Janice) you could see that Pippa left a piece of herself in every movement. Through, every step, every twirl, every spontaneous flick of her long hair, you could learn just a little bit more about this kind, bold, emotional soul, which she was so open to share with anyone who paid attention. That was what defined her dancing, and what would inevitably make her so entertaining to watch, even if she wasn’t nearly on the technical level of a professional. 

At that moment, Pip’s phone started ringing from the counter. She twirled over there and felt a little jolt of happiness in her heart when she read the name on the screen. Her best friend, the person who shared her one braincell, practically her brother- Roman Prince. She immediately took the phone and accepted the call. 

“Roman Roman Roman Roman Roman!” she half-squealed into the phone, excitedly. 

She heard her best friend chuckle. “Hi there Pippa Pippa Pippa Pippa Pippa.” 

She giggled a little. “Anyway, are you ok? How are rehearsals going? I’m so excited to watch you on Saturday!” 

Roman winced, intaking breath sharply. 

“Yeah... about that...” 

Pip tilted her head to the side, raising her eyebrows and pouting slightly. 

“Roman... what’s going on?” she asked, concern in her voice. 

“I... may or may not have broken my arm.” 

Pip stumbled backwards a little in shock.  
She promptly regained her balance, and exclaimed into the phone,  
“What?! What happened?! Are you okay?! What-”

“Pip, Pip!” Roman’s voice calmed her. “I’m fine. I fell down the stairs earlier this morning, Remus called the ambulance for me. They took me to the hospital, operated on me, but... I’m gonna be in this cast for 8 weeks, and can’t use the arm until then.” 

“So... no show.” 

Pip saying it still didn’t make it any easier for Roman. 

“Well... not necessarily. Pippa, thing is, I kind of called you... to ask a little favour.” 

“Roman, for you, anything.” 

“Weeeeellll, it’s actually kind of a big favour. In fact, maybe calling it a favour is kind of... a gross understatement, umm... perhaps we should call it a-“

“Roman.” Pippa now heard another, female voice through the phone. 

“Please just tell her already, you’re probably deeply confusing her.” 

“Yeah, you’re right Jan.” 

Oh, so that was Janice who’d been talking. Pippa had watched every one of Roman’s shows so had seen them dancing together a lot, and had heard a lot about her from Roman, but she’d never actually heard her speak before. 

“Pippa, I’d like you to take my place. If you are willing (and again, no pressure on you), I’d like you to dance with Janice instead of me, she will lead you and teach you the steps. I may not be able to perform this time, but, like they say.... the show must go on. And you’re the one who can save it, Pip.” 

Just as Pippa was about to respond, another voice butted in.

“Umm, with a few conditions, of course.” 

Pip knew the voice immediately. The one who proudly introduced every one of Roman’s performances, who talked on every dance-related TV show she’d ever watched, whose quotes were on the wall of every dance venue in the country. The infamous owner of one of the greatest ballroom dance companies of all time- Emile Picani. She was on the phone with Emile Picani. She couldn’t help but geek out a little.

“I’d like to watch you dance first, I know you learnt ballroom in your adolescence but I would like to check your grasp of the basic principles. But... at this stage I’m not looking for anything like perfection. Like Roman said, Janice can teach you, and although you’d only have three days to rehearse, if there’s a possibility this show can go ahead, I’m more than willing to give you a chance. If, of course, you’ll accept our offer?” 

Pip didn’t need any more persuading. This was literally the chance of a lifetime, to pursue a dream she’d always quietly had, for a skill she’d spent years practising to finally come to fruition, to be there when her best friend needed her. That was the bit that solidified it for her. Roman was everything to her, the first real friend she’d ever had, always the first person she wanted to show when she did something she was proud of, the big brother who’d been there for her through everything. He needed her now more than ever- she had to at least try her best. 

And, in full honesty, knowing how rusty the technical side of her ballroom dancing was, Pippa was almost certain Picani would reject her anyway. But hey, at least she can say she tried, right? She had literally nothing to lose here. People had always called Pippa impulsive, and maybe they were right. But she was right about this one. This was the right choice. And the choice was made. 

“Mr Picani, Roman, Janice... it would be an honour.” 

She was met with the resounding sound of whooping and cheering from the other side of the phone, as a huge smile broke out across her face. 

“Brilliant!” Mr Picani said. 

“Thank you thank you thank you Pip-“ Roman babbled into the phone. 

“I look forward to dancing with you,” Janice said sincerely. 

However the fourth voice Pip heard said only  
“Whoo!” 

Yet she recognised it immediately. 

“Hi, Remus!” 

“‘Sup, Pippa!” 

“Heard you were thinking of taking part in some show. Just know I’m right there with ya, you can do this Pip!” 

“Yeah, thanks Remus!” she replied, punching the air and bursting with enthusiasm. 

“Would it be alright if I could watch you dance via a video call?” Emile asked.

“Yeah that’d be great!” 

“Remus, could you run back to my house and grab my iPad? It’ll help us see better.” 

“Yeah, sure.” 

“Around what time would be good for you?” Roman asked. 

Pippa thought for a moment. 

“Could you give me a bit to rustle up a routine? Cause... it’s been a hot minute.” She laughed a little under her breath. 

“Sure, of course! Shall we call you back later this evening?” 

“I look forward to it!” 

“Thank you so much for even considering this Pip-“ Roman babbled as he took the phone back. 

“Hey. Ro. Trust me I’m gonna do everything I can to help. It’s like we always said when we were younger.” 

Both of them said at the same time the phrase that, to Pip, used to be just a memory, but that Roman still lived by to this day. 

“The show must go on.”


End file.
